GFNMS also manages the northern area of the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary (MBNMS) from the Santa Cruz-San Mateo County line (in Año Nuevo Bay) to the MBNMS northern boundary, off the coast of southern Marin County and accepts permit applications for this region. Read details on activities requiring permits in MBNMS.

Please submit permit applications well in advance of your proposed project start date. The typical turnaround time for sanctuary permits is 30 days from the time of determining an application is complete. It is rare to receive an initial application that is considered complete. Upon receipt of your initial application, depending on your proposed project location, design, and scale, it may take an additional number of weeks to review and make subsequent requests for additional information before an application is considered complete.